Transsylvania Nostra Journal

Abstract: The article discusses the tasks of conservation and research prior to the presentation of fortifications and castles. It presents those special conditions, the taking into account of which is necessary to carry out efficient fortification researches. It defines those criteria, which pose to the researcher unusual tasks during the compiling of scientific documentation. The contents of the research documentation, first published by the author in no. 6, 2008 of the Műemlékvédelem journal, are hereby applied on fortifications’ researches as well. Although the system of research tasks is generally known in the field of historic building conservation, its systematic framework has not been determined yet. Neither has the national legislation formulated any standards, based on which the building archaeology and the research documentation may be carried out within a unified approach. Basically, the tasks of on-site research can be divided into two distinct groups.

The first group contains the non-destructive research methods, while the other the destructive ones. The profession considers that the inventory of values belongs to the former, which should be attached to the listing documentation. In this article, the author demonstrates the importance of taking an inventory of values in the phase of research prior to conservation as well. The second part contains the geodetic and architectural surveys. The article attributes particular significance to micro-geodetic surveys, which may offer an opportunity for an effective designation of sites for archaeological excavations. In the case of ruins, the detailed survey of the walls can be carried out based on the geodesically fixed points. This documentation, completed by the representation of larger stones and of the wall texture, respectively by the photo documentation, is a decisive element in the recording process of the state prior to the intervention. The comprehensive interior survey should contain all the elevations of a historic building’s interior spaces at least on a 1:20 scale. The chrono-typologic analyses attempt to establish the age of certain structural parts based on the development of the building’s historical structures. In the case of ruins, the stratigraphic researches belonging to the destructive research methods are usually uninterpretable. In stratigraphy, the aim is to reveal and differentiate the layers of paint and plaster found on a historic building, in order to distinguish more clearly the different discernible construction periods. The analysis of the wall texture during building archaeology serves the same purpose. In order to preserve the historical materials, we should aim at minimising as fully as possible the surfaces that undergo the destructive
analysis.

The scientific analysis of the material samples obtained through destructive research methods could greatly assist in determining the distinct construction periods. The article’s most important message is calling the attention on the inevitability of drafting a regulation for the field of research.
Keywords: building archaeology, fortification typology, aspects of ruin conservation